Forgive my wordiness... I'll explain the situation and hopefully someone will have some ideas...

I work in a convenience store where I've become the default maintenance guy. The corporate maintenance department isn't too impressive, and I've had to fix their "fixes" many times. I'm kind of on my own for this one, because it doesn't seem to be in the budget to get someone in there who actually does this stuff for a living. End of rant, on to the problem

We have a large beverage area that consists of a soda fountain and a lot of countertop with coffee machines and whatnot. It's approximately 30 feet long. The countertop is Corian, with a stainless steel trough running the length for drainage, and there are water faucets at either end. All this sits atop metal cabinets. When it was installed some years back (and before my time there) they didn't quite get it right. They set the trough onto the cabinets, put a dollop of adhesive every couple feet, and then set the Corian on top. There's no seal running the whole length, and nothing tying the trough to the Corian. There's no space to get underneath and rig some way to pull the trough to the counter, so it's all gravity and the occasional bit of adhesive doing the work. Needless to say, it leaks. A lot.

The store is open 24/7, and the fountain area sees a lot of use. Even if it wasn't cost-prohibitive, it's just not possible to pull up the countertop and start over. So I have to try to come up with some sort of fix with things as they are.

There have been many attempts by many people over the years to caulk it, all of which have failed. Silicone or anything rubbery rubs off easily within a few days. There's a lot of moisture and coffee/sugary liquid spills, and a lot of hot-cold-hot-cold, so the temps can be widely varied. I need something durable that can withstand that environment and a lot of wiping with mild sanitizer.

What I'm looking for is something that can seal and also fill some slight gaps where things have separated a bit, without having to lift the countertop. I imagine something that'd dry and not be very flexible - like hot glue, but hot glue obviously wouldn't work for this - that would stick to two very non-porous surfaces, ideally forever. AND... fast drying time would be a huge bonus, though I suspect that puts me well into pipe dream territory.

So there's the scenario. Any ideas?

Thanks!

why would the trough run full enough to leak at the top ?

partial drain stoppage ?

not YOUR drain, let the owner fix it !

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

The problem that I see first and foremost, is finding something that will stick reliably to stainless steel. I don't think that there is honestly a reliable fix that will offer a permanent solution to your problem if you can't raise the countertop. You could use a polymer base plumber's putty and force it into the crack, but it wipes away with enough cleaning. I would try cleaning the crack and 1" above and below with both soap and water, then acetone. Let the Acetone air dry, then use a bead of Lexel silicone caulking around the entire trough. Smooth it, spread it and push it into the crack with a finger, and have someone follow you with paper towels soaked with Acetone and clean above and below your joint while it is still wet to remove any excess. Any rough areas are prone to getting ripped out while cleaning, and will catch spills and make excellent spots for mold to grow. [www.sashco.com] The most important part of the bonding area is where you can't easily get to, in the crack between the trough and the countertop, it is vital to clean it well enough that nothing remains on the surfaces to impair the bonding.

It sounds like it is running around the lip and following the bottom side of the countertop past the trough and leaking inside the cabinets.

That's exactly the problem. The trough never really fills up and is in good shape, so the trough itself doesn't leak and the drain is fine, but a lot of liquid gets splashed around. The insides of the cabinets can get pretty soaked in some places, and if the water hits it right, the fronts of the cabinets too. I have tried to clean between the trough and counter but it's rather tight and the liquids (and coffee and sugary residues) get in there much easier than cleaning utensils. So yes, mold is a concern too and I haven't succeeded in getting it really clean. And I have yet to be able to get things really dry before it gets wet again. There isn't enough space for air to effectively get in.

Oh, and one thing I somehow failed to mention is that we have grating that sits on top of the trough, in 2 1/2 foot segments. Those get slid around too, which spells even more doom for silicone caulk as they'll scratch and gouge it. Sigh.

I'd love to be able to say "corporate's problem, not mine" but they're so far unwilling to do a real fix. The nature of the business would make it an ordeal because of the amount of daily activity this part of the store sees. We have a well-deserved reputation for having a very clean store, and the fountain area is mostly my baby and I take a lot of personal pride in it. I feel like it's always a losing battle because it's hard to clean what you have no way to reach.

Which is why I mentioned the hot glue thing. I'm thinking maybe instead of trying to get something in between to seal things up, there might be something I could use that would create a barrier instead? If it dries hard enough to be able to take minor daily abuse but maintain its adherence, then I wouldn't have to worry about the seal in between the trough and counter. Something like a polyurethane coating for wood, but I don't know that there's anything that would adhere to both stainless and Corian and withstand that environment. Hmmmm...

Thanks for the input so far. Nice to have people who know their stuff giving some thought to it

The problem is that without access, it really is just patchwork, and nothing that you can do will be a lasting solution. If your store is open for 24 hours, the best time to work on this is from 3-6 a.m. most likely, and you should just put up some out of order signs in front of half of the machines, and do half at a time. Working on 24 hour per day commercial properties is always a tradeoff and you have to do what you need to get done. If you can do something to lessen the impact to customers, all the better. I would use a scrub brush, rag, paper towel, wood shim, popsicle stick, whatever it takes to get the job done. Necessity is the mother of invention, and it will take some elbow grease to get the job done. Unless you can get the countertop off of course.